The crime was barbaric. A man beheaded his sister on a busy street in the southern fringes of the city, allegedly for having an extra-marital affair, and marched 3 km with the severed head to the police station to give himself up.
A day later, the reaction is equally horrific: several
residents of Ayubnagar, where the crime took place, say Mehtab Alam’s action is justified on grounds of religion.

“He meted out social justice to his sister… Social and religious mores support his stand,” Rashid, who goes by one name, told HT on Saturday.

“What Alam did is according to Shariah, but not according to law,” said Mohammad Yunus Khan, Rashid’s neighbour. Rehman, another Ayubnagar resident, added: “The act is justified to keep society on the track of religion.”

Alam, 29, on Friday morning dragged Nilofar, 22, out on the street, sword in hand. As horrified people looked on, he severed her head, walked to the police station with the bloodied head, coolly placed it on a table there along with the sword, pulled up a chair and then sat down to confess.

Police said the ‘honour killing’ wasn’t Alam’s only crime. He also attacked the sister of Nilofar’s lover, almost severing her hand.

Alam allegedly told the police he had saved his family’s honour by killing his sister, a mother of two who had eloped with her lover.

He was produced before a chief judicial magistrate on Saturday and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.